GRATING DEVICE, LIGHT-EMITTING UNIT and LIGHT DETECTION METHOD

• US 20190317198A1
• Filed: 04/15/2019
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2018
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Qiang Wang
• Original Assignee: Qiang Wang
• Inventors: WANG, Qiang
• Application Number:
  US16/384,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20190317198A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4814 of transmitters alone
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4818 using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/499 using polarisation effects
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/313 in an optical waveguide structure
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/05 wavelength dependent
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/07 Polarisation dependent
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/24 beam steering

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a grating device, a light-emitting unit and a light detection method. The grating device includes a first waveguide and a second waveguide. A first input beam of a TE mode propagates through the first waveguide, and a second input beam of a TM mode propagates through the second waveguide. Output beams are obtained by diffraction which steer the first and second input beams. The first and second input beams have different steering angles at least at one wavelength. The grating device tunes a steering angle by varying a wavelength. The two input beams have different polarization modes, which increases an angle range of steering angles by wavelength tuning. A lidar using the grating device can expend an angle range of detection.

Claims

1. A grating device, comprising:

a substrate;

a blocking layer on the substrate;

a first waveguide on a first region of the blocking layer;

a second waveguide on a second region of the blocking layer;

a first input beam of a TE mode, capable of propagating through the first waveguide;

a second input beam of a TM mode, capable of propagating through the second waveguide;

wherein

the grating device generates output beams by steering the first and second input beams by diffraction, with different steering angles, at least, at one wavelength.

2. The grating device according to claim 1, wherein

each of the first and second waveguides comprises an array of strips where the strips are parallel to each other and the array extends in a direction perpendicular to propagation direction of the first and second input beams.

3. The grating device according to claim 1, wherein

the first waveguide has a filling factor, which is a ratio between a width of each of the strips and a period of the strips, greater than that of the second waveguide.

4. The grating device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second input beams propagate in opposite directions.

5. The grating device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second input beams tune steering angles of the output beams by changing wavelengths.

6. The grating device according to claim 5, wherein

the first input beam generates an output beam within a first angle range, the second input beam generates an output beam within a second angle range, and the first angle range is continuous with, overlaps with, or separates from the second angle range.

7. The grating device according to claim 1, further comprising a gap which separates the first waveguide from the waveguide.

8. The grating device according to claim 1, further comprising a cladding layer on the first and second waveguides.

9. A light-emitting unit, comprising:

a polarization controller configured to generate a first input beam of a TE mode and a second input beam of a TM mode; and

one or more grating devices which are coupled to the polarization controller to receive the first and second input beams,

wherein each of the one or more grating devices comprises;

a substrate;

a blocking layer on the substrate;

a first waveguide on a first region of the blocking layer, through which the first input beam of the TE mode propagates; and

a second waveguide on a second region of the blocking layer, through which the second input beam of the TM mode propagates;

wherein the grating devices generates output beams by steering the first and second input beams by diffraction, with different steering angles, at least, at one wavelength.

10. The light-emitting unit according to claim 9, wherein the source beam has a polarization mode which is either a TE mode or a TM mode, and the polarization controller comprises:

an optical switch configured to selectively provide a source beam to a first path or a second path, as the first input beam; and

a polarization rotator which is coupled to the optical switch through the second path and converts the source beam into a different polarization mode, as the second input beam,

wherein the optical switch provides the first input beam to the first waveguide through the first path, and the polarization rotator provides the second input beam to the second waveguide through a third path.

11. The light-emitting unit according to claim 9, wherein the source beam has a polarization mode which is adjusted to be either a TE mode or a TM mode, and the polarization controller comprises:

an optical switch which is coupled to the first waveguide through a first path and to the second waveguide through a second path,

wherein the optical switch provides the source beam to the first path in a case that the source beam is in the TE mode, as the first input beam, and to the second path in a case that the source beam is in the TM mode, as the second input beam.

12. The light-emitting unit according to claim 9, wherein the source beam is not polarized, and the polarization controller comprises:

a polarizing beam splitter which is coupled to the first waveguide through a first path and to the second waveguide through a second path,

wherein the polarizing beam splitter is configured to polarize the source beam as the first input beam and to provide the first input beam to a first path, and to polarize the source beam as the second input beam and to provide the second input beam to a second path.

13. The light-emitting unit according to claim 9, wherein the one or more grating devices comprise a plurality of grating devices which share the substrate and the blocking layer.

14. The light-emitting unit according to claim 13, further comprising:

a first beam splitter which is coupled between the polarization controller and the plurality of grating devices, and is configured to split the first input beam into a plurality of feeding beams, for the first waveguide corresponding to one of the plurality of grating devices; and

a second beam splitter which is coupled between the polarization controller and the plurality of grating devices, and is configured to split the second input beam into a plurality of feeding beams, for the second waveguide corresponding to one of the plurality of grating devices.

15. The light-emitting unit according to claim 9, wherein the first and second input beams tune steering angles of the output beams by changing wavelengths.

16. The light-emitting unit according to claim 15, wherein the first input beam generates an output beam within a first angle range, the second input beam generates an output beam within a second angle range, and the first angle range continues, overlaps with, or separates from the second angle range.

17. A light detection method, comprising:

generating first and second input beams, which have different polarization modes, from a source beam;

generating output beams by steering the first and second input beams using first and second waveguides, with steering angles corresponding to wavelengths of the first and second input beams;

illuminating the output beams onto an object;

obtaining reflected beams from the object to generate a detection signal; and

processing the detection signal to represent a distance of the object,

wherein the first and second input beams have different steering angles, at least, at one wavelength.

18. The light detection method according to claim 17, wherein the source beam has a polarization mode which is one of a TE mode and a TM mode, and the step of generating the output beams comprises:

selectively providing the source beam to a first path, as the first input beam, and to a second path;

converting the source beam into the second input beam having a polarization mode different from that of the first input beam;

providing the first input beam to the first waveguide through the first path; and

providing the second input beam to the second waveguide through a third path.

19. The light detection method according to claim 17, wherein the source beam has a polarization mode which is adjusted to be either a TE mode or a TM mode, and the step of generating the output beams comprises:

providing the source beam of the TE mode to a first path as the first input beam; and

providing the source beam of the TM mode to a second path as the second input beam.

20. The light detection method according to claim 17, wherein the source beam is a broadband beam, and the step of generating the output beams comprises:

generating the first input beam by polarizing the source beam to a TE mode and providing the first input beam to a first path; and

generating the second input beam by polarizing the source beam to a TM mode and providing the second input beam to a second path.

21. The light detection method according to claim 17, wherein the first and second input beams tune steering angles of the output beams by changing wavelengths.

22. The light detection method according to claim 21, wherein the first input beam generates an output beam within a first angle range, the second input beam generates an output beam within a second angle range, and the first angle range continues, overlaps with, or separates from the second angle range.